The bamboo ceiling in the United States is a subtle and complex form of discrimination, and the umbrella term “Asian American” extends to include a number of diverse groups, including South Asians, East Asians, and Southeast Asians. These groups are often subject to “model minority” stereotypes, and viewed as quiet, hardworking, family-oriented, high achieving in math and science, passive, non-confrontational, submissive, and antisocial. In the workforce, some of these perceptions may seem positive in the short-term, but in the long-term they impede progression up the corporate and academic ladders. While Asian Americans are often viewed as a “model minority”, many feel that they are an invisible or “forgotten minority”, despite being one of the fastest growing groups in the country. Some analysts attribute the racial disparity in administrative capacities to negative extensions of the aforementioned stereotypes of Asian Americans, such as common assumptions that they are “lacking in leadership skills” or that they have “poor communication abilities”. Asian Americans are also sometimes expected to have higher qualifications than their white counterparts, such as graduating from more prestigious universities, to achieve the same positions in American companies. Many of these stereotypes and expectations have a basis in cultural misunderstandings. Some Asian Americans claim that they are raised with culture-specific values that affect perceptions of their workplace behavior. For example, some report being taught from an early age to be self-effacing, reticent, respectful, and deferential towards authority. These values do not translate well into the American workplace, where Asian Americans are sometimes perceived as aloof, arrogant, and inattentive. As a result, Asian Americans are less likely to be seen as having qualities that appeal to American employers, such as leadership, charisma and risk-taking, and are often passed over for promotions in spite of satisfactory job performance. Asian Americans are also less likely to aggressively network, self-promote, and speak up at work meetings with concerns and ideas when compared to their coworkers. Others indicate that physical characteristics are a factor. Studies have shown that taller individuals tend to be promoted and earn more money than shorter individuals, and the average Asian American height is shorter than the national average. Some also report that Asian facial characteristics are unconsciously perceived as less expressive, less engaged, uninterested, and untrustworthy. These factors, combined with the common stereotypes and portrayals of Asian Americans as “nerds” and “geeks”, with high intelligence as well as high math and or science aptitude(s), creates an image of Asian males in particular as “short, not good-looking, socially inept, sexually null”. Furthermore, even Asian Americans born and or raised in the United States are sometimes assumed to be less English-proficient on the basis of their appearance as “perpetual foreigners”. Another factor may be an existing lack of connections and Asian American role models in upper management and in politics. Until relatively recently with the Civil Rights Movement, a large number of individuals of Asian descent had few political and social rights, or were denied rights of citizenship by naturalisation. While many Asian Americans are active in political life and government positions today, their representation is still disproportionately small, and there remain unofficial barriers to political access. Another commonly cited barrier, complementary to the bamboo ceiling, is the “sticky floor”. When applied to the Asian American experience, the sticky floor refers to the phenomenon by which young professionals of Asian descent are often trapped in low-level, low-mobility jobs. Asian Americans graduate from universities in high numbers, and firms tend to hire them in high numbers as well. However, within a few years, many claim to find themselves pigeonholed into dead-end careers with no path for advancement to upper-level corporate careers. This process is visible across a number of fields, including business, academia, and law. Even in areas where Asian Americans are believed to excel, such as software engineering, there is an overall tendency to see them assigned to low-ranking positions with fewer opportunities for advancement compared to other racial groups.
1. According to the text, Asian Americans in the United States should be classified as a(n) ________.
2. Discrimination of Asian Americans on linguistic grounds is in many cases based on ________.
3. The phenomenon of being able to see managerial positions, but not reach them is referred to as ________.
4. The impediment to Asian Americans to climb the corporate ladder from entry-level jobs is called ________.
5. Referring to Asian Americans as a “model minority” is an example of ________.
